Nintendo Wii U Due in November, Set to Cost $249 - Rumours

Just about a week ahead of Nintendo's annual press conference in September, launch date and pricing of Nintendo Wii U have been revealed by a distributor that supplies the U.S. largest stores various multimedia and video products. Apparently, Wii U will cost starting from $249 and will emerge on November 11, 2012.

According to Video Product Distributors, a major distributor that serves large stores like Amazon, Blockbuster, Newegg and so on, Nintendo will launch its Wii U system in the U.S. on November 11, 2012, nearly exactly six years after the company unveiled the original Wii on this market. A person, who has access to the confidential listing of Wii U at VPD, revealed that there will be at least three different bundles of Wii U available in North America: for $249, $299 and $349.

Details about the bundles are unclear, but it is likely that the most expensive version includes additional Wii U tablet-like controller along with a video game or two. Given the fact that Microsoft sells Xbox 360 250GB with Kinect for $409, whereas Sony PlayStation 3 320GB with Sony PlayStation move motion-sensing controller is available for around $365, the Nintendo Wii U is likely to be very competitive against its previous-generation rivals.

Since the prices do not come from official sources, they should be taken with a grain of salt, as originally Nintendo told that Wii U would be more expensive than Wii, which launch price was $249. On the other hand, the latest version of Wii U may be cheaper to produce than the pre-production Wii U devices, which is why the company can put $249 price-tag on the console.

Nintendo Wii U combines motion-sensing game play with the ability to support high-definition graphics and generally performance demanding games that can run on consoles like Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3. The system itself is based on a custom IBM Power microprocessor as well as a modern custom AMD Radeon HD graphics processing unit with high-definition graphics and video support. The main feature of the code-named Cafe game console is its unique controller with 6.2" touch-screen that also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers that can be used to play both classic Gamecube/Wii games as well as specially designed titles that take advantage of the screen. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories.